The Commander's Daughter
by ElementalStarRanger
Summary: Adopted as a small child by Commander Cruger, Kiara both loves and is angered by the SPD leader. She longs to be a Ranger just like him, but he is unable to let her put herself in danger. But everything changes when Kiara is kidnapped by Gruumm. Rated T
1. Kidnapped and Demands

Kiara stormed out of SPD headquarters. She couldn't believe her father could do this to her. _When is he going to stop trying to protect me and let me live my life?_ she asked herself. Kiara headed for the park in order to calm herself down. Once there she walked to the secluded clearing that she always went to for meditation and yoga. As she settled down on a large boulder, she didn't notice the figures hiding in the bushes behind her.

Kiara sighed softly. Now that she had calmed down, she realized that her father might have been right. She had a quick and hot temper, but once she cooled off, she began to see his point in their argument. Just then, a dark figure strode up behind her.

"Hello Kiara." Kiara gasped and spun around. And came faced to face with Emperor Gruumm. She was about to scream but a hand, or rather a robotic hand, clapped down over her mouth as she was grabbed from behind, cutting her off before she had a chance to make a sound.

Kiara struggled to break free, but there were too many hands holding her, and they were too strong. She glanced around in fear and felt her stomach drop as she saw that over two-dozen Crybots surrounded her: all of which were Orangeheads. No one noticed though that, during her struggles, the bracelet that she always wore slipped from her wrist and dropped to the ground. Gruumm stepped up to where Kiara was struggling against the Crybots that held her. She gave a muffled scream as he softly touched her forehead. Gruumm smiled evilly.

"Take her to the Terror," he ordered. The Orangeheads nodded and activated the teleporter. And with that, they disappeared, taking Kiara with them. Gruumm looked around the clearing one last time, and then he also disappeared.

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"Kat, have you seen Kiara?" Commander Cruger asked. Kat Manx looked up from where she was working on her computer. One look at Cruger told her exactly what had happened.

"You had another fight with Kiara, didn't you?" she asked him. Cruger scowled.

"Yes, but…well..urr," he growled in frustration. Kat gave him a stern look.

"You'll have to stop trying to protect her constantly sooner or later. Ands I know both Kiara and I would prefer that it be sooner rather than later. And besides, she is excellent in all of her studies: including swordsmanship and fencing, and she is praised for her skill in all of her martial arts classes," Kat pointed out. Cruger nodded and rubbed his forehead.

"Yes. Every one of Kiara's teachers has told me how good she is. She's a black belt in karate, and the equivalent of such a belt in almost every other of her classes. But Kat, I can't just let her become a Ranger. Even if it is only C-Squad, she will be in great danger. Far greater than anything she has faced in her classes. What if she gets hurt?" he asked Kat in desperation. Kat's face softened into a look of understanding and sympathy.

"I know you just want to protect her Doggie, but what if something were to happen and Kiara would be in danger without you there to help and protect her? She would need the experience and knowledge from being on C-Squad in order to defend herself. And what's more, if you don't make up with your daughter soon, you may lose her in a way that's far worse than physical harm." Cruger sighed.

"You're right, Kat, as always. I'll talk to her." Cruger sighed again and lifted his head. "But, truly, have you seen her?" Kat shook her head.

"No, but I can try to find her through her tracker." Cruger looked at her in surprise.

"Tracker?"

Kat looked at him sideways.

"Well, she...kinda got lost one day, and asked me if she could have one so that I could find her if she did it again. And sure enough, it did. And she was right. She gave me a call and I told her how to find her way back here." Kat shrugged it off and turned back to her computer. But then she frowned. "Hmm, that's odd." Cruger stepped closer.

"What's odd?"

"I can't seem to find her in the city at all. It's like she disappeared." Cruger frowned as well.

"Can you find out where she was last recorded? Perhaps the signals being blocked by something." Kat nodded and typed a few commands into the computer.

"Let's see. She was last known to be in the park, at…3:30 p.m. today." Kat glanced at the clock on the wall. "Hmm, that was over twenty minutes ago. Commander, maybe you should go to the park and see if she's still there. Call when you get there and I'll send you the exact coordinates of her last known location." Cruger nodded and headed out.

Once he got there, he used his communicator to talk to Kat.

"I'm at the park."

"Sending you the coordinates now." Cruger looked down at his morpher and used its GPS system to head into the woods. Soon, he had arrived at the clearing.

"Kat, I don't see her anywhere. I'll come back now."

"Okay, Doggie. I'll see you soon." Cruger closed his morpher. But as he was turning to leave, a flash of metal caught his eye. He walked over to where it lay in the grass and picked it up. It was a silver and amethyst bracelet: the exact same bracelet that Kiara never, ever took off for any reason.

"Kat, we have a problem."

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"Let me go!" Kiara cried out as two Orangeheads dragged her down a corridor aboard the Terror, Gruumm's personal ship. But no matter how hard she struggled, the Orangeheads kept a tight hold on her. Kiara knew it was hopeless, but that didn't stop her from trying to escape. Just then the Orangeheads stopped and turned to a stainless steel door. After punching a code into the keypad next to it, the door slid open and the robots dragged her inside. The room was circular in shape and had banks of machinery lined up against the wall. In the center of the room, a demented dentist's chair with steel and leather straps stood. Kiara struggled as the androids forced her into the chair and started to strap her to it. By the time they had finished, she could barely move, yet still continued to scream for help; at least, until one of the automatons gagged her and blindfolded her. Trembling, Kiara felt her heart jump into her throat as she heard an evil chuckle sound from behind her.

"Your struggles are useless." Unseen by Kiara, Gruumm walked out of the shadows and stepped up to the side of the chair. He chuckled again as he softly touched her arm, causing her to give a muffled scream and squirm against her bonds. "But don't worry, Kiara. Soon your precious father will fall into my trap. And he can suffer for all that he has done to my plans." Gruumm bent down to whisper in her ear. "After all, losing all that he has left of a family will cause him oh so much more pain than simple death ever could." Kiara inhaled sharply as she caught on. Gruumm laughed loudly as he ripped the blindfold off of her face. Kiara's eyes were wild with fear as she stared at him in horror. Gruumm touched her forehead. "But don't worry. I won't kill you……..yet." And he grinned as tears formed in her eyes. Then he turned to the video camera. Seeing it for the first time, Kiara felt panic threaten to overtake her as Gruumm turned the device on. Then he walked back to stand beside Kiara. "Hello, Cruger. This is, as you may well have already guessed, a ransom demand. You see Cruger, now that I have your daughter," he paused and softly stroked Kiara's head, causing her to squirm, "I figure you must be willing to give _anything_ to ensure her safety. After all, you don't want her to end up like your wife, now do you?" Gruumm asked the camera tauntingly. Then his face hardened. "If you want to see your daughter again, _alive_, come to the abandoned quarry outside of the city at exactly 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night. And be sure to come alone. If I see so much as a single cadet or Ranger, your daughter will never live to see another day." Gruumm smiled evilly. "And just to show you how serious I am," he said as he started to attach several electrodes to Kiara's body. She watched him with terror filled eyes as he walked over to a bank of computers and pressed several buttons. She gave a muffled scream as a jolt of electricity shot through her body, causing immense pain. Gruumm laughed and turned off the machine. Kiara was breathing heavily as tears streamed down her face. He turned back to the camera. "If you fail to meet any of my demands, and I promise you she will experience far worse before she finally dies. Until tomorrow, Commander." And with that he turned off the camera. "Now we shall see how much you father loves you." Kiara silently sobbed as Gruumm left the room. _Oh, God. What is he going to do to me?_ She thought to herself as she started to shake and tremble in fear. _"Dad, where are you?_


	2. Cruger's Decision

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers and such and such. Blah, blah, blah. I forgot to put it down in the first chapter.**

"Commander?" Cruger turned to face the cadet that had entered the command center. In his hands was a small envelope.

"Yes Cadet Richards?" he asked the young man. The man had stood at attention, but stepped forward to hand Cruger the envelope.

"This just came for you, sir." Cruger thanked and dismissed him. Turning the envelope upside down, a small digital disc dropped into his hand. "Kat, can you bring this up on the screen?" he asked Kat. She turned in her seat as she nodded.

"Of course," she said as she took the disc from him. After popping it into the computer, she opened the only file that was saved to the disc. She gasped as a video appeared with Gruumm staring at them. Gruumm was standing next to a demented dentist's chair with a struggling person strapped to it. Cruger's throat tightened as he saw that the person was Kiara.

"Hello, Cruger. This is, as you may well have already guessed, a ransom demand. You see Cruger, now that I have your daughter," Gruumm paused and softly touched Kiara's head, causing Cruger's heart to ache as she squirmed against the straps. His anger started to swell as he saw that his daughter was not only strapped to the chair, but also gagged with a thick piece of cloth. Gruumm continued to speak. "I figure you must be willing to give _anything_ to ensure her safety. After all, you don't want her to end up like your wife, now do you?" Cruger growled at the mention of his beloved wife, who had been murdered by Gruumm when he attacked Cruger's home planet, Sirrius. "If you want to see your daughter again, _alive_, come to the abandoned quarry outside of the city at exactly 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night. And be sure to come alone. If I see so much as a single cadet or Ranger, your daughter will never live to see another day." Cruger stared at the video in horror as Gruumm smiled evilly. "And just to show you how serious I am," he said as he started to attach several electrodes to Kiara's body. Cruger watched in shock and anger as Gruumm tortured Kiara by shocking her with the machinery. Kiara's muffled screams seemed to echo in his mind. But as Gruumm laughed at the pain he caused to Kiara, he felt pure fury push his shock away. The bastard was _laughing_, Cruger thought furiously. But even through his anger his heart ached at the sight of Kiara crying with terror-filled eyes. Gruumm faced the camera again. "If you fail to meet any of my demands, I promise you that she will experience far worse before she finally dies. Until tomorrow, Commander." Cruger stared at his daughter's tear-streaked face as Gruumm moved toward the camera. He continued staring at the screen even as it went black.

"Doggie?" Cruger started and turned to look at Kat. She was surprised to see the tears that were streaming down his face. _But he never shows his emotions like this_, she thought to herself in shock. "Doggie, what are we going to do?" she asked hesitantly. Cruger looked at her with distraught eyes.

"We're going to get her back." He turned to look back at the screen. "Whatever it takes, we're going to get her back."

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Kiara screamed again as the whip slashed across her back over and over. After having dragged her from the chair room, several Orangeheads had brought her to this room. It was a large, open room that was bare but for the chains that were secured to the ceiling and floor. Though she had struggled with all her might, the robots forced her into the chains. And then the whipping had begun. At some point the gag in her mouth had slipped off, but the Orangeheads had continued to whip her despite the fact that she now could scream freely. Finally, after what had seemed like hours, the automatons stopped and left the room. Kiara drooped against the chains. _How long can I keep up with this?_ she asked herself. Just then the door opened again, and a fierce-looking woman walked into the room.

"So, you're the daughter of the famous Commander Cruger," she said smugly as she strode up to Kiara. Kiara lifted her head.

"Who are you?" she asked with a slight quiver of fear in her voice. The woman smiled maliciously.

"_I _am Morgana, Gruumm's right hand. I command all of his troops for him. But enough about me, I'm here to do a job." And with that said she jabbed out her right leg and kicked Kiara hard in the ribs. Kiara screamed as she felt something give way inside of her. Morgana grinned evilly and continued to beat her. After what seemed an eternity, Kiara felt blessed darkness overtake her. Morgana hissed in annoyance as she watched the prisoner pass out from the pain she had inflicted. Tossing her head, she walked out of the room and addressed the waiting Orangeheads. "Take her to our highest security cell. If so much as a fly enters or leaves that cell without my or Gruumm's permission, kill it," she ordered. The Orangeheads nodded and unlocked Kiara's chains. She fell into the arms of one of them, which picked her up and carried her down the hallway. Morgana watched them go, and then turned to leave. She entered the throne room and bowed down before Gruumm.

"Well?" he asked haughtily. Morgana looked up.

"I have done as you commanded, Emperor. The girl will be helpless in any confrontation." Morgana flashed him a demented grin. "I believe I heard several ribs crack before she passed out." Gruumm chuckled.

"Very well. Prepare the troops. I want as many Crybots as we possible with us when we confront Cruger tomorrow," he stated. Morgana bowed and left the room. _At last, I have Cruger where I want him,_ Gruumm thought to himself.

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Cruger stood on the roof of SPD headquarters and looked out across the city. Then he sighed and looked up at the stars. He could still see the small red light that was the sun for his home planet Sirrius. His thoughts turned, not to his beloved wife as was usual, but to his adopted daughter. It seemed like such a long time since he had found her wandering the streets.

******Flashback**

_A newly arrived Cruger patrols the streets of New Tech City. As he walks, he hears someone cry out from behind an abandoned factory. He runs to see what is the matter. Behind the factory, a gang of teenage boys surrounds a young girl, only about 13 years old. The boys are beating the girl, but look up when Cruger steps out of the shadows._

_"Leave her alone!" he shouts. The boys sneer at him and continue beating the girl. Cruger pulls out his Shadow Saber and attacks the boys. The gang members scatter and flee. Cruger puts away his sword and slowly approaches the girl. "Are you alright?" he asks her gently. The girl tries to get to her feet, but winces in pain and stays on the ground. She looks at Cruger with tearstained eyes. Eyes that were a bright, clear purple._

_"N-no. I-I don't k-know where I am. I-I don't even k-know w-who I am. W-what am I g-going to do?" she asked him in a confused and frightened voice. Cruger moved to help her up. The girl whimpered and tried to back away._

_"It's okay, I promise I won't hurt you. I just want to take you somewhere where you can get better. I know a good doctor who should be able to fix you right up." He paused. "Do you want to come with me?" The girl looked up at him with those strange purple eyes._

_"Y-yes." Cruger bent down and picked the girl up. He was astonished to feel how light she was. "But wait, I..I don't think I'm supposed to go with strangers." Cruger paused. "So, who are you?" For the first time since the attack on Sirrius, Cruger gave a small smile._

_"I am Commander Anubis Cruger of SPD Earth." He paused. "You know, I don't think I'm supposed to go with strangers, either. So who are you?" The girl gave a watery smile._

_"I-I not sure. But I-I think my name is Kiara." Cruger nodded gravely._

_"Very well. Kiara, what do you say to going to SPD Headquarters with me?"_

_"I say that sounds just fine."_

**End Flashback**

Cruger sighed again. He knew that somewhere, hidden in space above the planet, his daughter was being held prisoner aboard Gruumm's ship.

"Sir?" a voice asked from behind him. Anubis turned to see Z standing there. The Yellow Ranger had a concerned look on her face.

"Yes Cadet Delgado?" he asked her wearily. Z slowly walked over to him.

"Sir, I…I just wanted to ask…I-if you had a plan on how we're going to rescue Kiara, sir," she said hesitantly. Cruger shook his head.

"There will be no 'we' Cadet. Gruumm made it clear: if anyone besides me is seen at the quarry tomorrow, he will…." Cruger paused. Z sighed.

"Sir, may I speak frankly with you?" she asked. Cruger gave a small smile.

"When have you never spoken frankly, Delgado?"

"Sir, you can't go in there by yourself. There's only one reason why he would want you to go there alone, and that's to force you to exchange yourself for Kiara. And sir," Z paused, and then spoke again quietly. "And sir, we need you here." Cruger sighed again and shook his head resignedly.

"I may be needed here, Cadet. But my daughter needs me much more. Gruumm spoke the truth. If I don't show up, or if I do and I'm not alone…" he paused. Then whispered so low that Z had to lean forward to hear him. "If I don't follow his demands, he'll kill my daughter in the most painful way possible." Cruger looked back up at the stars. "And that is why, if Gruumm wants an exchange, he'll get it."


	3. Rangers' Loyalty and a Voice Visitor

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Blah, blah, blah. Besides, if I did, the zords would be more life like and there would be more drama. (Like kidnapping)

"So, what did he say?" asked Jack, the Red Ranger. Z sighed.

"He said that if Gruumm wants an exchange, he'll get it. No matter what, the commander is willing to do whatever it takes to get Kiara back." The group was sitting in the recreation room, debating whether they should help the commander or not.

"Guys, if he doesn't want us to help, maybe we shouldn't," suggested Sam. Jack looked at the Omega Ranger.

"But, Sam, if we don't, how do we know if Gruumm won't simply take the commander prisoner and keep Kiara anyway?" Sam sighed.

"We don't. But as Z said, the commander is right. If he doesn't go alone, Gruumm will have no problem with torturing Kiara to death. But…" he paused as a sudden idea popped into his mind.

"But what?" asked Sky.

"But…Gruumm only said he didn't want to see us. What if he doesn't see us? What if we wait just out of sight, and if Gruumm does release Kiara, we can be there to help her get away and _then_ help the commander." Sam shrugged. "At least it's worth a try." The group nodded.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go tell the commander!" Bridge said excitedly as he jumped to his feet. The others quickly grabbed him and forced him to sit back down on the couch. "What's the matter with you guys?" Bridge asked exasperatedly.

"You dimwit! We can't tell Cruger!" said Sydney.

"Why not?" demanded Bridge.

"Because he's too worried about Kiara. He doesn't want anything to increase the chance of Gruumm killing her," she answered with a sigh.

"Besides, Bridge. If Cruger thought we would be a risk to Kiara's safety, he would give us a direct order to stay here. And then how would we be able to help?" asked Sky. Everyone knew that if Cruger ordered them to stay, Sky would make sure they didn't disobey a direct order. Bridge sighed.

"Fine, fine. I won't tell Cruger. But… shouldn't we tell-"

"No!" the group interrupted him with a shout. Bridge gave in and promised that he wouldn't tell anybody. But none of them realized that Kat was standing jus outside the door to the rec room. She shook her head as she left.

'_I hope Doggie doesn't realize just how well those Rangers know him_' she thought to herself as she walked toward her quarters. '_But they're right. Doggie will need their help if he wants to ensure Kiara's freedom form Gruumm. I think I won't tell him until after he goes to meet Gruumm._' She paused before her door and looked back down the hallway toward the recreation room. '_I will say his for them though, they sure are loyal friends._' Then she entered her room and closed the door behind her.

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Kiara groaned as she started to wake up. Her entire body ached, and there was sharp pains shooting from her ribs. Then, with a start, she remembered what had happened. Images of Gruumm, Morgana, and Orangeheads flashed through he mind. She moaned as she saw that her wrists and ankles were in chains, and her heart sank even further as she looked around at the cell she was being held in. Just then, a voice spoke within her mind.

_"Do not fear, young one. Your Earthbound father will come for you," _the voice said in a gentle way. Kiara looked around nervously.

_"Whoa-are you?"_ she thought to the voice.

_"Soon, all will be revealed. Fear not, for all is not lost. Keep faith, for while your body may be trapped, your soul will ever be free."_

_"Wait, what does that mean? Who are you?"_

_"Farewell, young one. Remember, all will be well."_

_"Wait!"_ But the voice had gone, and Kiara was alone once more.

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Author's note: Sorry this chapter was shorter than the other ones. I wasn't sure how to write this. Notice that Kiara's voice visitor mentioned her adoptive father, Cruger, as her "Earthbound father". Now, whatever could that mean? (Evil laugh) Anyway, please review and tell me what you think.


	4. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. I only own the character Kiara.**

The next day, at 6:30 p.m., Cruger set out for the quarry. In his concern for Kiara, he never noticed the Rangers following him as he made his way to the rendezvous site. Just before he reached the quarry, a beeping issued from his morpher. Cruger sighed and held it up.

"What do you want, Kat?" he asked touchily.

"Doggie. I thought you should know that the Rangers are following you."

"What?! Gruumm will kill Kiara if he sees them!"

"Don't worry. They're not going to show themselves. Just know that they are there to help get Kiara away. Once Gruumm releases her, make sure she gets to the Rangers." Cruger sighed.

"Fine."

"Oh, and Doggie?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful." And with that Kat broke off communications. Cruger sighed again and continued on his way. But his blood ran cold as he saw the spectacle that awaited him in the quarry.

Hundreds of Crybots, mostly Orangeheads and Blueheads, surrounded Gruumm and Morgana. But as Cruger walked into the quarry, each robot turned toward him. Gruumm grinned evilly as he saw Cruger.

"Welcome Cruger. I see that you aren't a coward after all," he said sarcastically.

"Where's Kiara? Where is my daughter?!" demanded Cruger. Gruumm smiled darkly.

"Why, she's here. But first, you must understand the conditions. I will only release the girl if you surrender yourself to me." Cruger didn't hesitate.

"Agreed. But first I must see my daughter." Gruumm nodded and turned to Morgana.

"Get the girl," he ordered. Morgana nodded and walked into the swarm of Crybots. When she returned, several Orangeheads followed her. Cruger's heart ached at the sight of them. For between the robots, chained and gagged, was Kiara. She stumbled and kept her head down.

"Kiara," called out Cruger. Kiara's head shot up and she looked at Cruger. His heart pounded as he saw the hope that flared in her eyes. And this would be the last time he ever saw her.

"Release her," Gruumm ordered. Silently the Orangeheads unlocked the chained and took out the gag. Kiara stumbled a little as the weight of the chains was taken off, but she soon got over it as she limped quickly to Cruger.

"Dad!" she cried out as she flung her arms around him. Cruger wrapped her in his arms as she cried into his neck. "I knew you would come." The whispered words echoed in his mind as he hugged her tight.

"Shh. It's going to be alright," he said quietly as he stroked her hair. Then he held her at arms' length. "Kiara," he whispered. "Listen to me. The Rangers will be here soon. When I tell you to, you need to run. Get to the as soon as possible. Okay?" Kiara nodded, but gave him a confused look.

"But...what about you?" she asked.

"Don't worry about me. Just promise me you'll run when I tell you to."

"I promise, Dad." They hugged again. Suddenly, two Orangeheads grabbed Kiara and dragged her away from Cruger. Anubis jumped to fight the bots, but five other Orangeheads grabbed him and held him back. Kiara cried out as she was forced to her knees before Gruumm.

"No! Gruumm let her go!" Cruger yelled as he struggled against the Orangeheads. Gruumm grinned evilly.

"Now, why would I want to do that? Surely you must know me better than that, Cruger," Gruumm taunted. He sneered down at Kiara, then kicked out his leg and slammed it into her ribs. Kiara screamed as he hit her already injured side, and she collapsed onto the ground. Cruger growled and thrashed against the robots. Gruumm circled Kiara. "You know, Cruger, I'm quite surprised. I always thought that you were good at sensing those with power. But it seems that you blind yourself to those who are so close to your heart." Cruger growled again.

"What are you talking about, Gruumm?" he demanded. Gruumm smiled.

"Why, your daughter, of course. I can practically see the power that surrounds her. She has the most power I've seen in my many years."

**Author's Note- Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Had some writer's block along with studying for finals at school. Well, please review. Post later!**


	5. Now We Know

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Only Kiara and associated OC's.**

"What? Impossible!" exclaimed Cruger. He looked at his daughter in dismay, who was curled up on the ground in pain. "But, I would have seen it," he whispered. Gruumm smiled vilely.

"Ah, but what if, subconsciously, you didn't want her to have any power? What if you only wanted her to be your daughter, and nothing more?" Cruger shook his head. Just then, Kiara cried out again, but this time in shock, rather than pain.

Cruger and Gruumm stared at Kiara as they saw the source of her shock. Surrounding her were three clouds of shimmering light. Slowly, each cloud developed into a person. Two men and a woman stood around Kiara. The men wore pure white tunics and leggings, with white leather boots. One wore a gold circlet on his head, while the other had a silver one. Both carried shining swords that gleamed in the afternoon sunlight.

The woman also was dressed in white, but rather in a flowing dress than a tunic and leggings. She also wore a golden circlet. Strapped to her back was a bow and quiver full of arrows. She knelt down beside Kiara and whispered quietly to her.

"Fear not, young one. We are here," she said in a musical voice. Kiara gasped.

"You!" The woman gave a small smile.

"Yes, I am the one who spoke to you."

"W-who are you?"

"Fear not, for soon all shall be revealed." Then the woman placed a hand gently to Kiara's ribs. A soft gold light left her hand and entered Kiara's side. She gasped in shock; then sighed as the healing light eased her pain and fixed her ribs. Kiara looked at the woman with gratitude.

"Thank you," she whispered. Just then Gruumm snarled at them. The woman stood up and turned to glare at him.

"It doesn't matter if you heal her. I'm still going to kill her anyway," he growled. The two strange men glared at him and stood protectively in front of Kiara. The one with a gold circlet spoke.

"If you dare try it, you will not live long enough to regret your choice," he warned. His voice reminded Kiara of huge mountains with their tops obscured by icy clouds. And yet, for some reason, his voice struck a chord deep in her mind, and opened a memory that she had forgotten.

**Flashback**

"Don't worry, Kiaera. I promise you will not regret this." The tall man stood before her, holding the reins of a striking blue unicorn. He was at least 6'6", and his hair was black as ebony. The same color as hers. He smiled at her warmly, flashing brilliantly white teeth. "Have I ever lied to you before?" her father asked.

**End Flashback**

"Father?" she whispered. The man turned and smiled the same smile that he had flashed at her many years ago.

"Yes, Kiaera?" he asked gently. Cruger watched in alarm.

"Kiara?" he asked quietly. Kiara tore her gaze away from the strange man to look at Cruger.

"I don't understand. Who am I?" she whispered. The woman turned to look at her.

"You are Kiara, adopted daughter of Commander Anubis Cruger of SPD Earth. But you are also Kiaera, daughter of Aeodoic and Remaetia, and sister to Corinath. You are both of these people. But only you can decide who you truly are."

**Author's Note- Hey there! So? What did you think? Comments are my water, food, and air. Please don't kill me. COMMENT PLEASE!**


	6. Kiara Versus Gruumm

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Only Kiara and associated OC's.**

Slowly, Kiara got to her feet. The woman, her mother, she now remembered, steadied her when she wavered. The two men, her father and brother, looked back in concern to make sure she was okay.

Seeing that they were distracted, Gruumm lunged forward, his own sword, hidden until that moment, in his hand and heading for Kiara. Aeodoic and Corinath turned, faster than any human could have, and deflected his attack. Not to be deterred, Gruumm ordered at least fifty Orangeheads to attack the two men. Soon the mysterious visitors were fighting furiously with the Crybots.

Gruumm motioned at Remaetia as the woman went for her bow and arrows. She shouted as a loop of red energy sent her flying into the mass of robots, not too far from Cruger. Gruumm turned back to look at Kiara, who glared at him with pure loathing.

"Just you and me now, little girl," he taunted. Kiara straightened abruptly, pride in every inch of her stance.

"Do you really think I'm afraid of you?" she asked sarcastically. "You hide behind your power and your sword because you're afraid to take anyone on in a fair fight," she said, the insult making Gruumm's eyes glow with anger. "I bet I could take you in hand to hand." He smiled at her challenge.

"Very well, girl. I'll fight you, hand to hand. No weapons," he said as he handed his sword to Morgana.

"No! Kiara, don't do this!" shouted Cruger as he fought to get free of the Crybots. Just then, the Rangers ran into the quarry, and Gruumm spun around to face them.

"Power Rangers!" he snarled. "Morgana! Destroy them!"

"With pleasure!" she said with a twisted smile as she headed toward the Rangers. Gruumm turned back to Kiara.

"Come and get me, little girl," he invited her to attack. Kiara did just that, and leaping into the air, flipped over his head to land behind him and slam a powerful kick into his back. Gruumm grunted, but otherwise it seemed that he had felt nothing. He whirled around, and threw a punch at her, faster than Kiara thought he could move. She cried out in pain as his fist knocked into her left cheek, forcing her back a step as pain bloomed from the hit.

Unrelenting, Gruumm continued to pound on her, landing blow after blow on her already battered body. Finally, Kiara managed to sweep his feet out from under him, and she backed away from him, panting hard from exertion and pain. A large bruise covered almost half of her face from that first hit, and she could feel several more littering her body. Her lip was split, and a small cut was leaking blood over her left eye, partially hindering her vision.

A black belt in karate she might be, but Gruumm hadn't become Emperor of galaxies by being weak. Just then her opponent got back to his feet, and the fight continued.

Meanwhile, Jack finally managed to get over to Cruger and help him fight off the Orangeheads holding him captive. Cruger growled, and then pulled out his morpher.

"SPD Emergency!" he yelled, and morphed into the SPD Shadow Ranger. But even in Ranger form, there were too many Crybots between him and Kiara. By then, the Rangers had defeated Morgana, and began to help Aeodoic and Corinath to fight off the Crybots. Soon, none were left, and Aeodoic helped Remaetia to her feet. The woman put an arrow to her bowstring, and tried to sight on Gruumm.

"Can you get a clear shot?" asked Aeo. Rema shook her head and lowered her bow.

"They're too close. The risk of hitting Kiaera is to great," she said grimly. The three strange people and the Rangers were forced to stand back and watch as Kiara and Gruumm continued to fight.

Kiara grunted as Gruumm threw her over his shoulder and she landed hard behind him, the breath whooshing out of her. Before she had a chance to breathe, Gruumm grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. He squeezed her into a tight hold, and Kiara struggled to get a breath.

"Too bad for you, girl," Gruumm whispered in her ear, and the tone of his voice had the blood in her veins freezing instantly. "Too bad for you that I don't fight fair." Kiara didn't see the knife, but she felt it as the blade slipped into her, sliding between two ribs like a hot knife through butter. And yet she didn't feel pain, even though her legs suddenly gave out as Gruumm removed the knife and stepped back, letting her fall to her knees.

"Kiara!" Cruger's shout was faint to her, as if he was far away, and was mostly obscured by the suddenly rushing in her ears. She felt a curious wetness on her skin, and brushing against it with her hand, was startled to see blood painting her hand red. It wasn't until she saw that blood, her own, that she finally felt the pain.

**Author's Note: Well? What do you think? Please let me know. I know people have been waiting for this for a while, and I'm truly sorry, but I had writer's block. No joke. I really couldn't think of what to write. Anyway, as always, flames are accepted, as long as you comment.**


	7. The End?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, only my OC's and the plot.**

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry! Feel free to yell at me, but I've been at a total loss for what to write, combined with my busy schedule= no update. But, I'm here now, and school is letting out, so I should be free to write. Hopefully.**

"Kiara!" Cruger shouted. With a sudden burst of strength, he threw off the attacking Crybots and ran for his fallen daughter. "Kiara, oh god," he gasped as he dropped to his knees by her side.

Kiara looked up at him silently, almost blankly before looking back down at her scarlet hand, then slumped to the side. Cruger caught her and cradled her close.

"D-dad…" she whispered, shuddering in pain.

"Shusssh. I'm here Kiara. I'm here. Don't…don't worry. You'll be fine. We'll get you to Kat and she'll fix you right up and-" He was rambling, and Kiara cut him off by weakly placing a hand on his helmet. The helmet disappeared, and she looked up at her adoptive father, surprised at the tears she saw there.

"Dad…it's…it's okay. I….I know…I know you t-tried…your best," she whispered, then hissed as a sudden spike of pain went through her. Once it weakened, she looked back at her father. "D-don't worry about me. Just….just go. Don't let him win. I….I know my way home," she whispered.

Before Cruger could ask what she meant, her eyelids fluttered closed as she passed out from blood loss, breathing shallowly.

Cruger gently set her on the ground, then got to his feet. "Gruumm! You're mine!" he shouted. His helmet reformed, and he drew his Shadow Saber. With a feral snarl, he ran for Gruumm, slicing through the Crybots and heading directly for the emperor.

Gruumm smiled darkly and drew his own sword, running for Cruger as well. Cruger snarled again as they drew even and sliced at each other. Their swords clanged, and they spun around.

Someone gasped, and slowly, the gathered Rangers and Crybots watched as one form fell to their knees, a sword sticking out of their back, and dark blood spilling onto the ground.


	8. Healing

**Author's Note: I'm really sorry this took so long to update. Life has been really busy. Thanks for reading though! As always, I do not own Power Rangers, only my original characters.**

The Rangers gasped in shock, their eyes fixed on the fallen figure. Finally, they dropped to the ground, bleeding out as they struggled to pull the sword from their chest.

"Noooooooo!" A voice rang out, and Morgana shoved through the Rangers to rush to Gruumm's side as he tried weakly to pull the Shadow Saber from his chest.

Cruger slowly turned and walked over to stand over Gruumm's dying form. His lip curled into a snarl of disdain.

"You deserve your fate for messing with my family," he snarled, then ripped his sword from Gruumm's chest. The villain grunted in pain, but could do little else. Then Cruger hurried over to his unconscious daughter and carefully picked her up. Slowly, he turned to the Rangers. "Let's go home."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Cruger paced outside the hospital room nervously, awaiting news as to Kiara's fate.

"Do not worry. Kiaera will be fine," the strange woman said, her eyes calm as she gazed at Cruger. The SPD Commander glanced at the woman in frustration.

"How do you know? Who are you anyway?" he asked. He hadn't had a chance to ask, but now he needed to distract himself from the fact that his daughter might die.

The woman smiled slightly.

"We are Kiaera's birth parents, Remaetia and Aeodoic," she said softly. Cruger froze.

"B-birth….parents?" he whispered. Were they going to insist she go home with them? Wherever home was for them.

The taller of the men, with a golden circlet upon his brow, smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, Commander. It is, as it always was, Kiaera's choice. You have raised her well," he said proudly. Cruger assumed this was Kiara's birth father, Aeodoic.

"No. I failed her," Cruger said quietly, turning away as he felt a lump rise in his throat. "I didn't let her have the chance to protect herself. If I had…..Gruumm would never have…." He stopped, unable to voice the torture his daughter had gone through, and it was all his fault.

"It wasn't your fault," the younger man said. "Gruumm was no better than a bully. He used a dirty trick that was without honor to force you to surrender, and then even went so far as to attempt to kill her. It was only his fault. Not yours."

"And who are you?" Cruger asked with chagrin.

"Kiaera's brother, Corinath. You can call me Corin," the young man said, bowing is head slightly.

Just then a doctor emerged from the room. He looked at Cruger, and sighed.

"Well, how is she?" Cruger asked, unable to wait for the news. The man smiled tiredly.

"It took a long time, but we were able to repair most of the damage. She'll have to stay off her feet for a while yet, but she'll pull through. She has a strong will to live," the doctor announced.

Cruger let out the breath he had been holding in relief.

"You can go in and see her, if you like. Though I'd advise you stay quiet. She's finally in a natural sleep," the doctor said. Cruger nodded, and then quietly stepped into the room.

His heart stuttered as he saw the pitiful condition Kiara was in. She was nearly completely covered in gauze bandages and casts. Bruises covered what little skin wasn't hidden under bandages. Slowly, he sat down in the chair next to her hospital bed.

"Oh Kiara….I'm so sorry," he murmured. Just then the girl began to stir, and then woke up.

"Unnnh…uh?" she murmured, barely able to speak around the breathing tube. She looked around, her eyes settling on Cruger. For a moment, the two simply stared at each other, and then Kiara's hand slowly opened, and shifted slightly toward Cruger. The commander took it gently, and together, they shared a familiar silence. Once, it would have been in anger, now….it was in family grief and forgiveness.

THE END


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